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‘Primal Fear’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

July 4, 2023 · Primal Fear (1996) · Crime · Drama · Mystery · 1:40:41

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 35:52the opening credits into the big banquet scene
Chris Ryan▶ 38:16the main lawyer briefing his two underlings on the case scene
Sean Fennessey▶ 39:55when he goes to meet Gear at the bar late at night

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:37The Chinese food

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Chris Ryan▶ 57:44Barleycorns - the bar that they go to like four times in the movie
Sean Fennessey▶ 57:58Barleycorns - agrees with Chris's pick and discusses how easily characters reference it

Great Shot Gordo Award

Bill Simmons▶ 58:10last shot
Sean Fennessey▶ 58:12agrees with last shot but also likes the overhead shot of Norton sleeping in bed with cross-cutting between characters

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 59:35The reporter character (Connerman) - appears in four scenes but is a complete zero with no charisma or personality
Chris Ryan▶ 59:44Agreed on the reporter character being problematic, noting he's like a propped up corpse and questioning why Marty keeps him around after the cover story

Ron Burgundy Flute Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:02The sloggy stretch in the middle of the movie during the two hour and 10 minute runtime

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:24Says Primal Fear is good as is, suggests Butcher Boy as alternative
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:03:49The Man with Two Faces

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:56You're worse than the thugs you represent.

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Chris Ryan▶ 1:05:24Marty's not a great lawyer - he makes up the third man defense strategy and then gets mad when he doesn't have a third man
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:06:18Edward Norton's performance as Aaron Stampler is purposefully not that great and a little hammy, while Roy is the real character

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:57What would any of the other altar boys have said - wouldn't they have known Roy wasn't really Aaron?
Chris Ryan▶ 1:08:08What was Roy's plan? Did he come from Kentucky to Chicago hoping to be picked up by the archbishop and become a serial killer?
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:08:28Were Linda and Rushmore his first killings or has he killed before? Is he a serial killer or an abused person lashing out?

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:17Leonardo DiCaprio — DiCaprio was the original choice for Aaron but turned it down; thinks it would have been great casting at that point in his career
Chris Ryan▶ 1:13:45It has to be an unknown for the role to work; the unknown factor was crucial to Norton's performance
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:12:59Leonardo DiCaprio — It has to be an unknown for it to work; DiCaprio was already too established after Gilbert Grape nomination

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:15:14Manny (after initially suggesting the girl in the sex tape)
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:15:37Terry O'Quinn

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:17:21In the script there's no stutter, Norton ad-libbed shoving Gere against the prison wall (Gere seemed shocked), and Norton ad-libbed the slow clap - one of the great movie moments of the 1990s
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:17:25Slow clap era

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:27Suggests multiple candidates: slow clap (mentions Brubaker as creating it), sordid VHS sex tapes (citing 1996 as peak year with Pam and Tommy tape), and discusses Gere and Laura Linney
Chris Ryan▶ 1:19:08Multiple personality disorder - thinks it might be Apex Mountain for this trope
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:17:36Edward Norton — Argues Aaron Stampler performance beats other slow clap examples from Can't Buy Me Love and Brubaker, mentions Sybil and Psycho as competition for multiple personality disorder

Racehorse Name Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:49Butcher Boy
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:19:55Butcher Boy - specifically references the scene when Gere goes to see Stampler and walks past a Chicago cop who says 'oh, Butcher Boy, huh?'

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:29:04Edward Norton — Edward Norton for his performance

Best Double Feature

Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:24Rounders
Chris Ryan▶ 1:30:18Spotlight — Spotlight (due to abuse scandal themes) or Widows (another Chicago crime movie)
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:31:12Anatomy of a Murder — Anatomy of Murder (part of 60s movie lineage with similar lawyer revelation themes)

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:33:32Invent a second personality and you can kill anyone / I was bipolar the whole time
Chris Ryan▶ 1:33:20If you want justice, go to a whorehouse. If you want to get fucked, go to court.
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:33:46Don't use the word heinous in a courtroom. Half the jury won't know what you're talking about.

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:33:55Edward Norton — Norton
Chris Ryan▶ 1:34:03Edward Norton — Norton makes it rewatchable and special, though Geer is wonderful

Movies Referenced (57)

American History X (1998)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 24:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fight Club (1999)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 24:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

You Can Count on Me (2000)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 53:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

A Few Good Men (1992)

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 5:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 30:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Internal Affairs (1990)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 12:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pretty Woman (1990)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 13:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Psycho (1960)

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:19:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Scarface (1983)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 10:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Can't Buy Me Love (1987)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:17:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Everyone Says I Love You (1996)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 24:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

25th Hour (2002)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 25:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (9)

Walt Frasier

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 1:01:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Woody Allen

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Annie Hall, Deconstructing Harry▶ 21:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Neil Jordan

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Crying Game▶ 1:03:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wes Anderson

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Royal Tenenbaums, Isle of Dogs▶ 25:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daniel Matley

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Snowpiercer, Guardians of the Galaxy▶ 58:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kelsey Graham

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ken Loach

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Milos Forman

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus▶ 23:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Bellany

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Stardust▶ 0:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (70)

Edward Norton

41 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Fight Club, American History X, Primal Fear▶ 14:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Richard Gere

36 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Chicago, Pretty Woman, An Officer and a Gentleman▶ 3:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Laura Linney

14 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 31:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Matt Damon

12 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Good Will Hunting, The Martian, The Departed▶ 0:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Mahoney

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Moonstruck, Barton Fink▶ 21:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Maura Tierney

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Liar Liar, Beautiful Boy▶ 31:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alex English

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:02:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alfre Woodard

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for 12 Years a Slave, Love & Basketball▶ 31:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Armin Mueller-Stahl

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Eastern Promises▶ 30:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Connie Britton

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for American Ultra▶ 19:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frances McDormand

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Fargo, Almost Famous▶ 31:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Hanks

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump▶ 13:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (6)

Ed Burns

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 19:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kenneth Lonergan

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Manchester by the Sea, You Can Count on Me▶ 54:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Faulkner

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep▶ 56:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Scott Turow

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Presumed Innocent▶ 5:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steve Shagan

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Primal Fear▶ 56:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tennessee Williams

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for A Streetcar Named Desire▶ 25:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (2)

Michael Stampler

9 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 21:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 55:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗